Title: A Dollhouse
Author: Norway Henrik
Date of Publication: 1879
Literary Period:
Genre: Modern Tragedy
Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting.
The play is set in the middle class family's home in Norway
Late 1800's
Christmas time
Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas)
Men in Ibsen's A Dollhouse are just as stuck in societal roles as are women, for just as women are expected to be submissive and are often objectified, men are expected to be the heroes who rescue the women, just as Nora expects Torvald to take the blame for her forgery.
Nora is obsessed with maintaining her reputation as a notable woman in the community, yet this obsession ruins her as she goes to the lengths of and illegal act of forgery to save her reputation and keep her husband.
The home is usually a place of shelter and comfort, but in A Dollhouse, the home is a symbol of false comfort as Nora puts on a facade to cover her illegal acts and immoral views on the lengths she is willing to go to to maintain her reputation.
Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here. (Beginning, Middle, End)
ACT 1:
Nora forged her father's name to get a loan to take her husband and children on an Italian vacation in order to restore Torvald's health. Therefore, she is subject to blackmail by Krogstad, who is almost going to be fired by her newly appointed husband for his ironic crime of forgery
ACT 2:
Nora is putting together her costume for the Christmas dinner show she and Torvald are hosting
Mrs. Linde is there, gossiping about Nora's relationship with Dr. Rank because he knew about Mrs. Linde while Torvald didn't. Nora goes to Dr. Rank for advice and intimacy while Torvald is just amused by her.
Nora tries to distract Helmer from everything by focusing on the performance, she also tries to convince him not to fire Krogstad but he refuses to take advice from his wife because sexism, then he fires Krogstad
Dr. Rank comes to tell Nora that he is dying and to keep Krogstad from his death bed, and Nora responds by flirting with him.
Dr. Rank confesses that he would also die for Nora and she decides not to reveal her issue to him.
Krogstad comes to threaten Nora further, Christine realizes that Nora borrowed the money from Krogstad. Krogstad sends her husband a letter revealing everything.
Nora tries to distract Torvald from opening the letter by having him correct her dancing.
ACT 3:
Krogstad and Mrs. Linde are talking and theyre relationship history is revealed, they decide to continue their lives together, Krogstad offers to take his letter back but Christine says the secret must come out
Torvald tries to get with Nora but she insists he reads the letter first
He reads it, attacks Nora for screwing up their children with her immorality
Krogstad comes and says he does not intend to pursue blackmail
Torvald instantly forgives Nora, calling her even more helpless
she decides to leave.
Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE.
"a wonderful thing"
--she thinks her husband will thank her for how hard she worked to get him to Italy and how much effort she put into this secret, she never considers that he might be angry or disgusted because her only thought was to help him.
"I would never dream of doing anything you didn't want me to"
--Nora blatantly lies to make Helmer happy, she is constantly performing the role of subservient wife that she knows he wants her to be.
"Tell me what to do, keep me right- as you always do"
--Nora is attempting to distract Helmer from reading the letter Krogstad put in the box by playing to the side of him that longs to correct her and treat her like a child
"Helmer must know everything. This unhappy secret must come out. Those two must have the whole thing out between them. All this secrecy and deception, it just can’t go on."
"And as far as you and I are concerned, things must appear to go on exactly as before. But only in the eyes of the world, of course… From now on, their can be no question of happiness. All we can do is save the bits and pieces from the wreck, preserve appearances"
--Helmer does not jump to Nora's rescue as she so expected he would do; his complete betrayal of her and his immediate disgust for her actions shows the truth of his nature.
"I wouldn’t be a proper man if I didn’t find a woman doubly attractive for being so obviously helpless."
--well this is disgusting. Shows Helmer is turned on by being needed and he does see Nora as helpless and unable to take care of anything by herself.
Describe the significance of the opening scene.
Nora and Helmer are in there home, he keeps referring to her as Squirrel and Lark, he scolds her for being silly and spending too much money, reprimanding her for eating sugar. Shows how Torvald has control over all financial resources of the household, and Nora lies about her ignorance. Shows Nora as somewhat deceitful and yet naive. Its Christmas, setting the stage for a time of giving.
Describe the significance of the closing scene.
Nora leaves her husband and children because she believes she is being constrained by her relationship with her husband and she wants to achieve self growth and the only way she can do this is alone and independent for once.
The door slams at the end signaling the finality of her decision.
Nora reveals her lack of belief in "wonderful things" anymore, she no longer holds out any hope that a miracle will happen and she and her husband will be able to make their life together liveable.
She goes against the traditional belief that a wife and mother is responsible for taking care of her children and husband permanently, an unpopular idea during the time of publication of The Dollhouse.
Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text.
Simple dialogue, representing the outward simplicity of their lives and relationships
List importance characters and their significance.
Nora- Torvald's wife, depicted as naive and innocent and treated as a doll who's only use is to look pretty and obey her husband. She is disobedient, however, in both her eating macaroons and the more serious crime of borrowing money and forging a signature. At the end of the play, she realizes she needs to break away from her husband and family to find herself and figure out her identity as an independent woman who no longer believes in miracles.
Torvald Helmer-Nora's Husband, condescending, superiority complex. He holds Nora to the same standard as he would a doll- mindless, pretty, needs to be controlled and obey. He works as a banker and has high moral issues with borrowing money and looks at it as a stain on the whole family.
Christine Linde- Nora's friend, took Krogstad's job, she previously was in love with Krogstad and she shows a foil to Nora's lack of work by being hard working, sensible and independent.
Krogstad- Worked at the bank, at risk of being fired for forgery, lent Nora money, blackmailing her.
Dr. Rank- Dying, Nora's friend and confidant who eventually reveals his love for her and that he would sacrifice anything to help her.
List important symbols from the work and their significance
Christmas Tree- symbolizes the happiness and unity of the family, but is eventually revealed to be an illusions as Nora never actually made Christmas decorations, it was a lie to cover up her need for money. At the beginning of Act 2, the tree is stripped and bedraggled, representing the eventual inevitable downfall of their family.
Macaroons- The macaroons are forbidden to Nora under Torvalds rule, yet in the very first scene she is seen eating them anyways. These come to represent her lies and deceit as she goes against her husband's wishes.
Skylark, squirrel, other forest creatures- Show the dehumanization of Nora as she goes through life with her husband, she is seen as a cute but thoughtless animal that can only obey simple commands.
Nora's Dance- Tarantella- fiery, passionate dance that shows Nora's rising anxiety and allows her to drop the facade of the perfect wife. Nora is performing throughout the play to please Torvald by acting like his adorable innocent wife, and the Tarantella is just a continuation of her performance.
Author: Norway Henrik
Date of Publication: 1879
Literary Period:
Genre: Modern Tragedy
Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting.
The play is set in the middle class family's home in Norway
Late 1800's
Christmas time
Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas)
Men in Ibsen's A Dollhouse are just as stuck in societal roles as are women, for just as women are expected to be submissive and are often objectified, men are expected to be the heroes who rescue the women, just as Nora expects Torvald to take the blame for her forgery.
Nora is obsessed with maintaining her reputation as a notable woman in the community, yet this obsession ruins her as she goes to the lengths of and illegal act of forgery to save her reputation and keep her husband.
The home is usually a place of shelter and comfort, but in A Dollhouse, the home is a symbol of false comfort as Nora puts on a facade to cover her illegal acts and immoral views on the lengths she is willing to go to to maintain her reputation.
Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here. (Beginning, Middle, End)
ACT 1:
Nora forged her father's name to get a loan to take her husband and children on an Italian vacation in order to restore Torvald's health. Therefore, she is subject to blackmail by Krogstad, who is almost going to be fired by her newly appointed husband for his ironic crime of forgery
ACT 2:
Nora is putting together her costume for the Christmas dinner show she and Torvald are hosting
Mrs. Linde is there, gossiping about Nora's relationship with Dr. Rank because he knew about Mrs. Linde while Torvald didn't. Nora goes to Dr. Rank for advice and intimacy while Torvald is just amused by her.
Nora tries to distract Helmer from everything by focusing on the performance, she also tries to convince him not to fire Krogstad but he refuses to take advice from his wife because sexism, then he fires Krogstad
Dr. Rank comes to tell Nora that he is dying and to keep Krogstad from his death bed, and Nora responds by flirting with him.
Dr. Rank confesses that he would also die for Nora and she decides not to reveal her issue to him.
Krogstad comes to threaten Nora further, Christine realizes that Nora borrowed the money from Krogstad. Krogstad sends her husband a letter revealing everything.
Nora tries to distract Torvald from opening the letter by having him correct her dancing.
ACT 3:
Krogstad and Mrs. Linde are talking and theyre relationship history is revealed, they decide to continue their lives together, Krogstad offers to take his letter back but Christine says the secret must come out
Torvald tries to get with Nora but she insists he reads the letter first
He reads it, attacks Nora for screwing up their children with her immorality
Krogstad comes and says he does not intend to pursue blackmail
Torvald instantly forgives Nora, calling her even more helpless
she decides to leave.
Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE.
"a wonderful thing"
--she thinks her husband will thank her for how hard she worked to get him to Italy and how much effort she put into this secret, she never considers that he might be angry or disgusted because her only thought was to help him.
"I would never dream of doing anything you didn't want me to"
--Nora blatantly lies to make Helmer happy, she is constantly performing the role of subservient wife that she knows he wants her to be.
"Tell me what to do, keep me right- as you always do"
--Nora is attempting to distract Helmer from reading the letter Krogstad put in the box by playing to the side of him that longs to correct her and treat her like a child
"Helmer must know everything. This unhappy secret must come out. Those two must have the whole thing out between them. All this secrecy and deception, it just can’t go on."
"And as far as you and I are concerned, things must appear to go on exactly as before. But only in the eyes of the world, of course… From now on, their can be no question of happiness. All we can do is save the bits and pieces from the wreck, preserve appearances"
--Helmer does not jump to Nora's rescue as she so expected he would do; his complete betrayal of her and his immediate disgust for her actions shows the truth of his nature.
"I wouldn’t be a proper man if I didn’t find a woman doubly attractive for being so obviously helpless."
--well this is disgusting. Shows Helmer is turned on by being needed and he does see Nora as helpless and unable to take care of anything by herself.
Describe the significance of the opening scene.
Nora and Helmer are in there home, he keeps referring to her as Squirrel and Lark, he scolds her for being silly and spending too much money, reprimanding her for eating sugar. Shows how Torvald has control over all financial resources of the household, and Nora lies about her ignorance. Shows Nora as somewhat deceitful and yet naive. Its Christmas, setting the stage for a time of giving.
Describe the significance of the closing scene.
Nora leaves her husband and children because she believes she is being constrained by her relationship with her husband and she wants to achieve self growth and the only way she can do this is alone and independent for once.
The door slams at the end signaling the finality of her decision.
Nora reveals her lack of belief in "wonderful things" anymore, she no longer holds out any hope that a miracle will happen and she and her husband will be able to make their life together liveable.
She goes against the traditional belief that a wife and mother is responsible for taking care of her children and husband permanently, an unpopular idea during the time of publication of The Dollhouse.
Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text.
Simple dialogue, representing the outward simplicity of their lives and relationships
List importance characters and their significance.
Nora- Torvald's wife, depicted as naive and innocent and treated as a doll who's only use is to look pretty and obey her husband. She is disobedient, however, in both her eating macaroons and the more serious crime of borrowing money and forging a signature. At the end of the play, she realizes she needs to break away from her husband and family to find herself and figure out her identity as an independent woman who no longer believes in miracles.
Torvald Helmer-Nora's Husband, condescending, superiority complex. He holds Nora to the same standard as he would a doll- mindless, pretty, needs to be controlled and obey. He works as a banker and has high moral issues with borrowing money and looks at it as a stain on the whole family.
Christine Linde- Nora's friend, took Krogstad's job, she previously was in love with Krogstad and she shows a foil to Nora's lack of work by being hard working, sensible and independent.
Krogstad- Worked at the bank, at risk of being fired for forgery, lent Nora money, blackmailing her.
Dr. Rank- Dying, Nora's friend and confidant who eventually reveals his love for her and that he would sacrifice anything to help her.
List important symbols from the work and their significance
Christmas Tree- symbolizes the happiness and unity of the family, but is eventually revealed to be an illusions as Nora never actually made Christmas decorations, it was a lie to cover up her need for money. At the beginning of Act 2, the tree is stripped and bedraggled, representing the eventual inevitable downfall of their family.
Macaroons- The macaroons are forbidden to Nora under Torvalds rule, yet in the very first scene she is seen eating them anyways. These come to represent her lies and deceit as she goes against her husband's wishes.
Skylark, squirrel, other forest creatures- Show the dehumanization of Nora as she goes through life with her husband, she is seen as a cute but thoughtless animal that can only obey simple commands.
Nora's Dance- Tarantella- fiery, passionate dance that shows Nora's rising anxiety and allows her to drop the facade of the perfect wife. Nora is performing throughout the play to please Torvald by acting like his adorable innocent wife, and the Tarantella is just a continuation of her performance.